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. 1998 Nov;82(11):1242–1245. doi: 10.1136/bjo.82.11.1242

Relation between size of optic disc and thickness of retinal nerve fibre layer in normal subjects

S Funaki 1, M Shirakashi 1, H Abe 1
PMCID: PMC1722433  PMID: 9924325

Abstract

AIMS—To evaluate the relation between the optic disc size and the thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) in normal Japanese subjects by means of scanning laser polarimetry.
METHODS—Scanning laser polarimetry was performed in 60 normal subjects. One eye of each subject was randomly selected for study. Using a scanning laser polarimeter, the integral of RNFL thickness was measured totally and regionally within a circular band located 1.75 disc diameters from the centre of the optic disc. The correlation between the optic disc size and the integral of RNFL thickness was examined.
RESULTS—The optic disc size showed a significant correlation with the integral of RNFL thickness (R = 0.497, p <0.001). A significant negative correlation was observed between the optic disc size and the ratio of inferior integral to total integral of RNFL thickness (R = −0.274, p = 0.034).
CONCLUSIONS—The cross sectional area occupied by the RNF, measured by scanning laser polarimetry increased significantly with an increase in optic disc size while the ratio of inferior to total cross sectional area decreased significantly. These facts should be considered when one evaluates the RNFL thickness in patients with progressive optic neuropathies such as glaucoma.

 Keywords: scanning laser polarimeter; normal subjects; optic disc; retinal nerve fibre layer

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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

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Actual image of the integral of retinal nerve fibre layer RNFL thickness in the nerve fibre analyser. The longitudinal axis indicates the thickness of the RNFL (µm). The integral of RNFL thickness indicates the sectional area which is the integration of the thickness of the RNFL calculated along the transverse axis. S=superior quadrant; T=temporal quadrant; I=inferior quadrant; N=nasal quadrant.

Figure 2  .

Figure 2  

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Correlation between age and the integral of thickness of the RNFL in 60 normal eyes (Y = 0.000x + 0.543, R = 0.002, R2 = 0.000, p = 0.988).

Figure 3  .

Figure 3  

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Correlation between size of the optic disc and the integral of thickness of the RNFL in 60 normal eyes (Y = 0.116x + 0.288, R = 0.497, R2 = 0.247, p <0.001).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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